RMLI Gosport F.C.
| Full name | RMLI Gosport Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lillywhites | ||
| Founded | ? | ||
| Dissolved | 1939 | ||
| Ground | Forton Army Barracks, Gosport | ||
|
| |||
RMLI Gosport F.C. were an army football club based in Gosport, Hampshire.
History
The club were formed in the early 1900s as the football team of the Royal Marine Light Infantry - based at Forton Army Barracks in Gosport. During this time there were a number of short-lived regimental sides from the military playing in the Hampshire League and various cup competitions, but they were the most successful.[1]
In 1908 RMLI Gosport reached the Hampshire Senior Cup Final but lost 0–1 against Southampton Reserves - in a game played at Fratton Park, Portsmouth.[2]
Their most successful season was in 1909/10 when they won the Army Cup - and the Commander organized a bicycle ride to rally Bandsmen living in the area so that the returning team might be properly greeted on its arrival back at Gosport Railway Station. The RMLI made the long journey to the North East to Bishop Auckland where they defeated South Bank 2–1 to win the FA Amateur Cup, without playing a single home game en route. Crowds gathered in the streets to again welcome the victorious team home.[3]
After the Great War, the team reformed and there was another triumph in 1922 when they won the Hampshire Senior Cup - beating Bournemouth Poppies in the final (the score is not known). However, they were not members of any leagues until they joined the Hampshire League for the 1922–23 season when they finished 6th in the County Division (later to be renamed Division 1). That season they again enjoyed a county cup run, but lost a semi-final 0–2 against Thornycrofts (Woolston).[4]
In 1923 the club was renamed Royal Marines Portsmouth, before departing from the competition in 1928.[5] They continued to enter Army competitions and returned to the county league for the 1938/39 season when they finished Runners-up in Division 2 before the outbreak of War in 1939 during which the team disbanded.[6]
Honours
- FA Amateur Cup
- Winners 1909/10
- Army Cup
- Winners 1909/10
- Hampshire FA [7]
- Senior Cup Winners 1921/22, Finalists 1907/08
- Hampshire League
- Division 2 Runners-up 1938/39
Records
League
| Season | Division | Position | Significant events |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922/23 | Hampshire League County Division | 6/17 | |
| 1923/24 | Hampshire League County Division | 6/16 | Changed name to Royal Marines Portsmouth |
| 1924/25 | Hampshire League County Division | 4/16 | |
| 1925/26 | Hampshire League County Division | 11/16 | |
| 1926/27 | Hampshire League County Division | 11/16 | |
| 1927/28 | Hampshire League County Division | 13/16 | Left competition |
| 1922-38 | |||
| 1938/39 | Hampshire League Division 2 | 2/15 | Runners-up |
External links
- https://www.royalmarinesfootball.com/
- RMLI Gosport at the Football Club History Database
- Royal Marines Portsmouth at the Football Club History Database
References
- ^ Association Football in Hampshire until 1914 by Norman Gannaway
- ^ Hampshire Football Association Centenary History 1887–1987 by Norman Gannaway
- ^ https://www.royalmarinesfootball.com/class-of-1910
- ^ A History of the Hampshire League 1896–1996 by Norman Gannaway
- ^ https://www.royalmarinesfootball.com/history
- ^ A Tabulated History of the Hampshire League by Stephen Farmery
- ^ Hampshire Football Association Yearbook 2005/06